One would think as a Hollywood star that he would be able to afford his own tie for a premiere.

But Dustin Hoffman turned up tie-less to the red carpet event in London's Leicester Square.

However, he soon remedied the situation by nabbing one off showbiz reporter Matt Smith.

Snatched: Dustin Hoffman whips off Sky reporter Matt Smith's tie at the London premiere of new film Kung Fu Panda as he arrived without one

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Tie it for size: Mischevious Hoffman demonstrates his tie technique and it looks like a good fit

The cheeky Hollywood star nicked the reporter's blue tie to wear around his own neck, but Smith didn't seem to mind, even helping Hoffman to straighten his lapel.

Hoffman revealed he thought his career was over when he was asked to voice a character for 'Kung Fu Panda'.

The Oscar-winning actor feared his illustrious movie-making days had come to an end when he was approached about lending his voice to a red panda called Shifu in the latest DreamWorks animation.

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Playful: Star Hoffman arrived with his wife Lisa

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Joker Jack Black bounds down the red carpet to show off his kung fu moves

Dustin said: 'I got involved with it reluctantly. I realised that I had to put myself in the director's hands.

'Had this film flopped I would have been pointing fingers at them! But we were lucky it was well-received because it could have been the end for me.'

Fans at the premiere of  were also treated to demonstrations of the martial art by
Jack Black, who provides the voice of the panda, Po, in the animated film.

Black showed off his moves on the red carpet in London's Leicester Square and hugged and high-fived autograph-hunting fans.

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Lucy Liu opts for a dress which definitely begs the question, 'does my bum look big in this?'

However he denied he would be using his moves for real.

He said: 'I'm not a violent person by nature. If I see violence happening on an unsuspecting victim, my tendency is to rescue. The only time I'm really going to bust out the moves is for self-defence.'

Meanwhile fellow stars Lucy Liu and Dustin Hoffman tried their hand at origami in front of reporters, with Liu swiftly making a boat before Hoffman made a paper aeroplane, which he threw into the crowd.

Earlier, Black had arrived in a litter carried by four men, much to the delight of onlooking fans, who were entertained by displays in kung fu, dragon dancing and contortionism on an oriental-adorned red carpet.

However Angelina Jolie, who provides the voice of a tiger, was a notable absentee from the red carpet. While promoting the film in Cannes, Black broke the news that the actress was expecting twins.

Kung Fu co-stars: Ian McShane Dustin Hoffman Jack Black & Lucy Liu pose up at the premiere without pregnant star Angelina Jolie who was a no-show

Asked if he would be buying Angelina a gift for her children, Black said: 'Maybe I will. I think I owe her one.'

He added: 'I don't want to spill any beans, because I got in trouble last time I spilt the beans. I'm keeping all my beans to myself this time.

'I'm sad that she's not here because she always makes a splash when she shows up, but I'm glad because no-one pays attention to me when she's here. I become invisible.'

Hoffman refused to be drawn on Jolie's absence, saying: 'I'm not sad. If my wife wasn't here, I'd be sad.'

Meanwhile Charlie's Angels star Liu, wearing a dark red dress, was full of praise for Black: 'I'm a huge fan of his. He's a tremendous person. I just went in and had a blast. I had so much fun.'

The film, which sees Po study kung fu alongside other animal characters to save his village, is released on July 4.